Yan Ming, Cheng Kun, Yue Qian, Yan Yu, Rees Robert M, Pan Genxing
Institute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture and Center of Agriculture and Climate Change, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing, 210095, China.
Carbon Management Center, Scotish Rural College, King's Building, West Main Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, UK.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2016 Mar;23(5):4681-91. doi: 10.1007/s11356-015-5670-5. Epub 2015 Nov 3.
Understanding the environmental impacts of fruit production will provide fundamental information for policy making of fruit consumption and marketing. This study aims to characterize the carbon footprints of China's fruit production and to figure out the key greenhouse gas emissions to cut with improved orchard management. Yearly input data of materials and energy in a full life cycle from material production to fruit harvest were obtained via field visits to orchards of five typical fruit types from selected areas of China. Carbon footprint (CF) was assessed with quantifying the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the individual inputs. Farm and product CFs were respectively predicted in terms of land use and of fresh fruit yield. Additionally, product CFs scaled by fruit nutrition value (vitamin C (Vc) content) and by the economic benefit from fruit production were also evaluated. The estimated farm CF ranged from 2.9 to 12.8 t CO2-eq ha(-1) across the surveyed orchards, whereas the product CF ranged from 0.07 to 0.7 kg CO2-eq kg(-1) fruit. While the mean product CFs of orange and pear were significantly lower than those of apple, banana, and peach, the nutrition-scaled CF of orange (0.5 kg CO2-eq g(-1) Vc on average) was significantly lower than others (3.0-5.9 kg CO2-eq g(-1) Vc). The income-scaled CF of orange and pear (1.20 and 1.01 kg CO2-eq USD(-1), respectively) was higher than apple, banana, and peach (0.87~0.39 kg CO2-eq USD(-1)). Among the inputs, synthetic nitrogen fertilizer contributed by over 50 % to the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, varying among the fruit types. There were some tradeoffs in product CFs between fruit nutrition value and fruit growers' income. Low carbon production and consumption policy and marketing mechanism should be developed to cut down carbon emissions from fruit production sector, with balancing the nutrition value, producer's income, and climate change mitigation.
了解水果生产对环境的影响将为水果消费和营销政策制定提供基础信息。本研究旨在描述中国水果生产的碳足迹，并找出通过改进果园管理可减少的关键温室气体排放。通过实地走访中国选定地区的五种典型水果类型的果园，获取了从材料生产到水果收获的全生命周期内每年的材料和能源投入数据。通过量化与各个投入相关的温室气体排放来评估碳足迹（CF）。分别根据土地利用和新鲜水果产量预测农场和产品的CF。此外，还评估了按水果营养价值（维生素C（Vc）含量）和水果生产经济效益缩放的产品CF。在所调查的果园中，估计的农场CF范围为2.9至12.8吨二氧化碳当量公顷-1，而产品CF范围为0.07至0.7千克二氧化碳当量千克-1水果。虽然橙子和梨的平均产品CF显著低于苹果、香蕉和桃子，但橙子的营养缩放CF（平均0.5千克二氧化碳当量克-1 Vc）显著低于其他水果（3.0 - 5.9千克二氧化碳当量克-1 Vc）。橙子和梨的收入缩放CF（分别为1.20和1.01千克二氧化碳当量美元-1）高于苹果、香蕉和桃子（0.87~0.39千克二氧化碳当量美元-1）。在各项投入中，合成氮肥对温室气体（GHG）总排放量的贡献超过50%，因水果类型而异。在水果营养价值和果农收入之间，产品CF存在一些权衡。应制定低碳生产和消费政策以及营销机制，以减少水果生产部门的碳排放，同时平衡营养价值、生产者收入和气候变化缓解。
